Transformers: Prime Caught
by Kyas Nonsense
Summary: OC-based. Fusion, an Autobot scout, has been captured by Megatron's Decepticons before she can make contact with the Autobot forces on Earth.
1. Chapter 1

**I**

A small drip fell from Fusion's chin, landing on the Autobot emblem that was embossed on her chest plate. The luminescent liquid continued to slowly slide down her body. Already a small puddle had formed on the decking of the Nemesis's floor. It sat there, glowing up at her as though mocking her weaknesses, while she dangled from the ceiling by her bound wrists. They had not even bothered with energy bonds, her design didn't require such measures, she wasn't designed for war. And obviously Megatron's lackeys had noticed that.

It hadn't stopped them from hitting her, of course. That was what the energon was from. Apparently her lack of knowledge as to the whereabouts of the Autobots' base here on Earth was a little disheartening for the "mighty" Lord Megatron. Spitting a glob of energon to the floor, she tried to forget the face of the Decepticon leader. She had never expected to meet him face to face. Especially since she was just some little peon.

Yet she'd been caught while trying to make her way to the North American continent, which was where a 'bot named Interceptor had told her the Autobot signals were originating from. It didn't help that her own comm link was down and until she could find a capable medic, it would stay that way. It hadn't been hard for the 'cons to nab her.

Now, she was dangling, wondering where the only 'con she trusted was. And hoping she wasn't fooling herself by trusting him.

The door opened, spilling light into the chamber that served as her prison, causing her to shutter her optics against the brilliance. When the door slid back shut, a red mech stood before her, causing her hopes to rise, only to fall again moments later. The 'con medic noticed, a half grin gracing his faceplate as he regarded her silently. This was not the medic she was thinking of, nor was it her 'con friend.

"So, you were hoping for rescue already, were you?" Knockout reached out and forced her optics to his face, the grin still there. His red optics seemed to burn into her own blue ones.

"Can't a girl dream?" she growled, attempting to ignore how the energon dripped from the side of her mouth.

"Ha. Glad to know I've not broken that spirit yet," Knockout slid the tip of his sharp forefinger down along her chin, leaving a scratch in the side of her faceplate. She pulled her head away and swung out with one leg at the same time.

He easily caught the offending appendage.

"Ah ah, naughty little sparklet. You should know to behave better when you're at the mercy of another," Knockout tapped her leg lightly before letting it fall back to its place beside the other. He turned from her then and began shifting something around on a table that was hidden from her sight, in the darkness beyond the small circle of light that shone down on her at all times.

Narrowing her optics, she wondered what he was up to. She had fully expected him to break her leg, perhaps even remove it completely. With each passing nanoklick, she found herself growing more concerned, especially with how closely he was examining the objects on the table.

When he turned around, her optics flew wide and she tried to move away, forgetting she was tied above the floor. The smile that graced his faceplate caused her spark to go cold. The object in his hand sent shivers throughout her circuitry and she tried kicking him once more, anything to keep him away. He caught her right one, but she managed to dent him with the tip of her left one.

"Now, that was not smart, damaging my chassis like that," Knockout growled out, slapping his hand down on her leg, letting out a metallic ring. The tool he held was now resting against the pink of her armor, glistening like a venomous serpent. She pulled back, trying to get free of his grip, but it was of little use, as his grip merely tightened.

"Let me go..." she whispered, her voice barely audible, even to her own audio sensors. She felt pathetic and weak, unable to do anything but beg.

"What was that, sparklet?" Knockout made a show of cupping his free hand beside his right audio sensor, the tool still gripped between two long needle-like fingers.

"Please, let me go. I don't know anything!" Fusion was begging now, trying not to allow herself to slip into hysteria. She wasn't built for this.

"And why should I believe you?" Knockout demanded, moving forward with a sudden speed that caught her off guard. His right hand was wrapped around the side of her head, the fingers digging into the back of her helmet. The other still remained clamped around her right leg, as though he'd forgotten he was holding it.

Before she could answer, the door opened again, flooding them with a blinding light. Knockout demanded to know who it was without even turning around, his optics still holding Fusion's own. Her visor was down, covering them, a reaction from the earlier beating she had received. However, it was no protection against his ruby optics.

"Lord Megatron would like a word," the voice made Fusion gasp.

"Tell him I'm busy," Knockout's optics had widened slightly at the gasp, only to narrow again.

"You can tell him. Personally, I want to keep my wings attached," Downbeat growled out, his silhouette crossed the arms over his chest, the bombs on his shoulders barely visible.

With a final growl of irritation, Knockout dropped Fusion's leg and moved his hand away from her head. He turned to leave then stopped. Fusion's spark froze for a moment as he turned back to her, reaching out; a savage look on his faceplate. He grabbed her visor and ripped it from her face. The pain seared through her processor, causing her to cry out as the pale lavender fragments scattered to the floor, mixing with the energon that had already pooled there.

"You won't be needing that here," Knockout stated, dropping what was left of the visor to the floor. Larger pieces shattered, scattering on the gray plating. They glittered like snow in the bright lights from the doorway and the single one above Fusion's head.

Fusion could barely hear the intake of air from Downbeat over the pounding of Knockout's footsteps. Then the door closed once more and the room was dark, save for the single light above her head. With a cry of pain and frustration, Fusion collapsed, leaving her wrists to take the full weight of her body.

When would this nightmare end?


	2. Chapter 2

**II**

Downbeat lead the way down the corridors of the Nemesis, acutely aware of Knockout's presence behind him. The medic had looked at him oddly the moment the doorway to Fusion's torture chamber had shut. He knew something, Downbeat was certain of it. He just didn't know how to react to it, not yet anyway.

Regardless of what the medic knew, or believed he knew, Downbeat had other, more pressing issues to deal with. Namely getting Fusion free of Megatron's hands. He'd never been so happy to take an order from Soundwave as he had been this one. If it had been any other 'bot, he'd have not cared about Megs' interest, but Fusion was a different story and he wasn't going to let them slag her.

For now, at least he knew where Knockout was and that no one was hurting the young femme. It wouldn't be long though, before the medic was back at it.

"Would there be a reason for our pretty little prisoner reacting with such... pleasure at the sound of your voice?" Knockout's question nearly stopped Downbeat's forward momentum. Almost. No sense in showing that the medic had hit his anxiety squarely on the head.

"None that I could think of. Perhaps I sound like a 'bot she knows," Downbeat replied, the grin feeling as though it looked as artificial as it felt.

"Interesting, I've never heard of a 'bot reacting in such a way to a 'con before. Is there something you'd like to share with your dear old friend?" Knockout asked, setting his hand upon Downbeat's shoulder, the 'endearing' look on his face making the energon in Downbeat's veins run cold.

"Nothing that I can think of... why? What are you planning Knockout?" Downbeat demanded, stopping his forward motion and crossing his arms over his chest. He was a good bit taller than the medic and was using this to his full advantage. Especially since he didn't know what Knockout had in mind.

"Oh nothing," Knockout replied, removing his hand from Downbeat's shoulder and walking away towards the bridge where Megatron was, as per the norm.

Downbeat watched him go, his scowl deepening as he considered the implications of Knockout's knowledge of Fusion knowing him. He also wondered just how much the medic had guessed. Did he know that the two of them were friends? Or did he believe there was just a passing relationship between the two of them. Shaking his head, Downbeat forced himself to stop thinking about the medic and return thinking about what he'd do to help Fusion out of this situation she had gotten herself in. He'd told her to stay with Interceptor, but no, she wouldn't listen to him. Just like always.

Dawning realization made him frown as he connected the dots. If he was going to pull this crazy plan off, he'd have to convince that nutcase of a 'bot to assist him. But how? If he went to Interceptor in person, the idiot would slag him before he could even open his mouth to speak. A message might be intercepted by his direct commanding officer, Soundwave, and that would not be fun to explain. As it was, Soundwave was watching him extremely closely. He didn't doubt that had something to do with the apparent coincidence of Fusion appearing directly after he had.

"Slag it, what am I going to do?" Downbeat ran his hand down the back of his helmet as he thought. With optics everywhere – courtesy of Soundwave – it was impossible to formulate a plan that wouldn't result in his own destruction. Yet, he couldn't get that look she had given him out of his head. She was scared and in pain.

How could he do nothing?

Down on the planet that rotated beneath the orbiting path of the Nemesis, Interceptor charged down the roads of South America, his processor focused on the sudden disappearance of Fusion's spark signature from his sensors. He had been watching her, making certain she reached North America safely. Then, suddenly, three Earth days before, the blip that represented her disappeared. His thoughts continually swung to that 'con. The one she had arrived with. He knew he should have fragged the slagger. No 'con was trustworthy. But Fusion's defense of him had stayed Interceptor's ion canons. Next time, the 'con wouldn't be so lucky.

With the ease of many years of experience, Interceptor transformed from vehicle mode to his proto form. He landed on both feet and slid a distance of several feet before coming to a stop, weapons armed and ready. His optics searched the area for signs of a struggle. There were none. This didn't surprise him too much, Fusion was small and had only a single energon canon that served as her defense system. She had lost most of her protection with the loss of her ship. And she had come to trust a 'con.

"Foolish femme," Interceptor barked to the empty lands around him. Birds exited the trees, startled by his sudden shout. He ignored them, returning to his search of the area. He was hoping against hope that there was some sign of what had happened to the little femme.

As he searched the areas surrounding the roads, something glittering in the afternoon sunlight caught his attention. Moving to where the object lay, he narrowed his four optics, analyzing it. Even as he did this, his sensors were on high alert for the presence of any others. So far, there had been no sign of another Cybertronian. Humans didn't concern him – for the most part they were harmless, except to one another.

Finishing the analysis, he bent down and retrieved the small piece of metal that had been pounded into the ground. It was one of the mirrors from Fusion's vehicle form. Someone had knocked it off in the struggle with her. This he was certain of. He also had a feeling that they had gone skyward, too far for him to reach on his own.

"Frag it, now I have to ask for that slagger's help?" Interceptor allowed his optics to roam the sky, a glimmer of wishful thinking making him want the Nemesis to appear. There had been few 'con sightings in Brazil, but he knew Megatron's vessel was somewhere in orbit. Now he simply had to find a way to get a message to Downbeat, and hope that the slippery 'con had not had anything to do with Fusion's capture.

Working together wouldn't be pretty. The two of them would be lucky to survive the experience, but Interceptor knew one thing – they both wanted Fusion to be safe. After this was over, he was giving that femme a piece of his mind before taking her to North America and dropping her off with the Autobots up there. That was, if she was still alive.


	3. Chapter 3

**III**

Days passed in a blur. At one point, Fusion was certain she'd been dangling like this forever. Then her processor clicked and reminded her that she'd only been there for a total of five Earth days. Was it really that short?

With a heavy sigh that sent pain lancing through her body, she forced herself to look up, trying to avoid the sight of her own life force lying on the ground around her feet. The single small puddle had grown to several large ones. Each at a different stage of drying. Gashes were opened in her armor, metal and paint were fused and melted. The armor from her left shoulder was completely gone, ripped away just like her visor. Her right ankle no longer worked, the circuitry fused from electrical charges that had been sent throughout her body. Still they had not gotten what they wanted. She wondered how long it would be before they gave up and simply slagged her. Would she even try to fight it?

With a suddenness that seemed as though he could read her thoughts, the door swept aside, revealing Knockout. Behind him stood a taller mech, one that she was uncertain of. She had long since learned Knockout's silhouette, not because she wanted to, but because it gave her the chance to try and ready herself before the pain started again. This resolve never lasted long. But it was all she could do.

"Fascinating, how one so weak could be so strong," the voice caused her to stop breathing. She hadn't heard it since she had first been brought to the Nemesis.

"Yes it is, my lord," Knockout stated, stepping to where Fusion dangled by her wrists and cupping her chin in one long fingered hand. The other ran along a burn that had been scored into her chest plate a few hours earlier. She cringed at the pain of it, but remained silent. She had discovered that crying out only made him enjoy it more.

Instinctively, she pulled away. Knockout let her go; releasing her chin easily and stepping aside for Megatron to move forward. The Decepticon leader was something of nightmares; born of the pits beneath Kaon, he looked every bit the gladiator he once was.

With a single flick of his wrist, Megtron pulled her higher along the pulley above her head. This served to bring her optic-to-optic with him. She shied away from his glare, feeling more exposed than she had ever felt dealing with Knockout's sessions. Suddenly she found herself wishing to return to the prior horrors of her first days on the Nemesis.

"Tell me girl, why do you fight to keep your secrets?" Megatron asked, his voice quiet and filled with an authority that caused her to shiver. This was an authority that bespoke of cruelty and demanded obedience. An authority she'd never experienced and had never wanted to.

Fusion remained silent, tired of saying the same thing over and over again. She was sure that all of her negative replies and begging sessions had been replayed to him. Instead of replying, she hung her head and fought the rage that was beginning to emerge through the veil of fear that had engulfed her for the last five days. This was not the time to allow anger to take over, Megatron could snap her in two with a single finger.

However, she was not to have her moment of silence, at least not for long. One of those massive fingers slid beneath her chin and forced her to look up. A smile at what he saw on her faceplate or in her right optic – the other was semi-permanently shuttered now.

"You are a spirited one. Knockout had said as much, though I must admit I found it hard to fathom that such a tiny scout could have enough spirit to survive this long," Megatron commented, running the same finger along the side of her head before stopping and grasping her head on either side with his finger and thumb. He jerked her head around, forcing her spinal cord to go as far as it could without snapping.

The pain was excruciating and the knowledge that all he had to do was turn her head a little further and she'd most likely die was worse somehow. Apparently she wasn't as ready to die as she had thought earlier. Now was not a good time to make this decision.

"I could snap your neck like a twig scout. Tell me where Prime's base is and I might let you live," Megatron crooned into her right audio, his mouth centimeters from the side of her head. She could feel him there, even thought she heard the gears in his head turning and pulling against one another as he thought out his next plan of action. All the while, she imagined exactly what it would be like, should he do what he suggested.

"I...don't know," Fusion said, finding it hard to speak with her head at the painful angle he held it at. There was nothing else she could say. She honestly had no idea where the base was, hadn't even been aware that there was a Prime on the planet!

"Foolish," Megatron pulled a little further, a pop coming from her neck seemed to satisfy him enough that he then released her head.

The pain that flared in her processor nearly caused her to black out. Whatever had made the sound was a little more important than a simple metal disc. But her internal diagnostic program had been disabled by Knockout shortly after their first 'session' – since it was what her self repair systems ran off of.

As a result, she didn't truly know the full extent of the damage that had been inflicted upon her, all she knew was that she was in constant pain and that there seemed to be far more systems in her body than she remembered Aero ever designing.

"Knockout, I want that information, even if you have to go into her mind," Megatron had turned away, his heavy footsteps causing the entire chamber to shake as he walked to where the red medic stood.

"I'd prefer not to have to do that, it would make her useless for anything else," Knockout commented, shrugging.

One look at Megatron's visage and he quickly backtracked, "Of course, your word is law, Lord Megatron. Should she prove unbreakable, I will go into her mind."

Megatron left then, looking back once before the door closed behind him. Fusion watched him go, her one good optic glaring at his back. She forced herself to continue glaring at him, even as he turned and looked back. Whether or not he noticed was beyond her, but she hoped he did. Even though her lack of knowledge was not a lie, she knew she never would have given up the base location. Perhaps she was stronger than she had originally thought.

With a tug and pull, she was swiftly lowered back to the height where Knockout could easily reach her. He reached out with a hand and caressed the side of her face almost gently as he regarded her. The scratch, the first one he had ever given her, was still along her chin and he ran a finger over it now. She found that he was far more frightening like this than he had been as her torturer.

"What are you doing?" Fusion asked, it had been meant as a demand, but she found it impossible to force her voice into that octave. Whatever Megatron had snapped inside her neck had been involved with her vocal systems.

"Come now Sparklet, I would rather not have to turn you into a 'vegetable', as the fleshlings say, so be a good girl and tell me what Megatron wants to know. If you do, then I'll let you be my pet for the rest of your life," Knockout stated, wiping the leaked energon from her shuttered optic. If it had been anyone else, she would have considered the gesture seductive.

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you," Fusion growled, it came out low and throaty, but had the desired effect.

Knockout's optics narrowed and he stepped back, slapping her cheek as he did so. It wasn't a hard hit, but she knew from experience that it meant something not good was coming. Strangely, he had never actually struck her. He seemed to have a strange moral code in which hitting her wasn't proper, but doing everything else he felt like was perfectly fine and acceptable.

"You should have taken my offer, Sparklet," he scolded, shaking his head as he turned his back to her and moved to the table, "I'd take good care of you, you know. And you'd get to see your friend, Downbeat everyday."

It was said so casually that Fusion nearly didn't hear it. Her good optic flew wide, the realization hitting her like a physical blow. How did he know about Downbeat?

"Ah, I see I was right," Knockout had turned to her, watching and gauging her reaction.

"How?" Fusion managed as she blinked disbelievingly.

"Hmm, you really don't know, do you?" Knockout stepped into the circle of light, his red optics diming slightly as the light hit them. He carried a small hammer in his hand, but didn't bring it to bear, instead he stopped before her and set his hands on his hips and regarded her quietly.

She was unsure of what he meant. That she didn't know how he knew about Downbeat and she or that she didn't know where the base was located. Either way, the statement was more than a little true.

"No..."

"Well, don't let me spoil the surprise then. Just know this," Knockout moved closer, raising the hammer to her face and pushing it against the side of her helmet, "this information could be the end of your little friend. I'd much rather not go triapsing through your processor, so I'll give you this little compromise. You tell me where the energon deposits on this planet are and I'll keep your friend's little secret to myself. I'll even give you a break from our sessions. Don't tell me and I'll blow the whistle on your friend."

"Energon deposits... but I thought..." Fusion started, only to have Knockout stop her by setting a finger against her mouth.

"I don't care about the Autobots' base. If I don't get energon on this ship, I can't keep the 'cons going, simple as that. I know what your priority assignment is and I need the information you have stored in here," the hammer tapped against the side of her helmet. Fusion flinched at the harder-than-necessary taps.

For a moment she couldn't believe what he was saying or that he wasn't threatening her. Her mind whirled with the sudden change in him. Then it hit her, the 'cons were running low on energon, the very life blood of all Cybertronians. Did she dare give them a secret that could actually bolster their efforts on this planet?

If it was only her involved, she would be tempted to say no. To be brave enough to die for the Autobots' cause; after all, hadn't she joined because she believed in the very principles and ideals of the Autobots? But, it wasn't just her. It was Downbeat too and he didn't deserve to die just because she wanted to prove how brave she was. It hadn't been his choice to be saddled with her, she had forced her way into his life after the destruction of her little ship. Even if he was a 'con, no one deserved to die for such a silly reason.

"I'm waiting, Sparklet," Knockout snapped, the hammer now settled on his shoulder, much like a human guardsmen would carry his weapon.

"...I didn't scan the entire planet," Fusion started with the truth, they had grabbed her before she could do a complete scan.

A smirk graced his face as he regarded her, "Smart girl."

The clang of the hammer as he tossed it back to the table made her jump, her spark's beat racing with the sound. It seemed all loud noises now had that affect on her. What happened next was as unexpected as the change in the theme of the day.

Knockout set a hand on the top of her head and stroked it, just as one would a sparkling who had been frightened.

Her optic opened and she looked up at him, startled. He smiled and reached above her head, unlocking the cable from the bonds around her wrists. Slowly, he lowered her to the floor and watched as she moved her shoulders experimentally. Pain lanced through the sockets, but they both still worked, as did the wrists and fingers.

"Better?" Knockout asked, kneeling before her.

Fusion nodded, afraid to speak or move, afraid it was dream. She'd had a few of those, one of which involved a rescue by a mysterious red and blue Autobot.

"It's a reward for doing as you're asked for a change, Sparklet," Knockout explained, "Now, the information, if you please."

With a sigh and heavy spark, Fusion flipped open the sensor that was built into her arm. All of the coordinates of the local energon deposits appeared. The majority of them were located on the South American continent, where she had landed. However, a few appeared on the North American continent as well.

"I am uncertain of those..." Fusion stated, fighting to keep her voice even, disbelieving the fact that she was willingly sharing this information with the 'con medic, "I cannot tell if the readings are true until I am closer to them."

Knockout looked pleased with the information, regardless of the accuracy. With a nod, he slipped a feed from his own processor and attached it to a node on her arm. The information was downloaded in a matter of nanoklicks.

"Perfect. Now, you just stay put," Knockout raised a finger into the air and narrowed his optics, "I see that you moved and it's back to dangling, got it?"

Nodding, Fusion wrapped her still bound arms around the upraised knee of her right leg. With a shudder, she rested her forehead against the upraised leg as well, shuttering her one operational optic for a moment. She didn't see his reaction to her position, but she did feel the hand on the top of her helmet, as well as the vibrations in the deckplating as he walked away. She found herself wondering if the medic as what humans called 'bi-polar'.

The light from the doorway spilled over her and she looked up momentarily. There was no one else around as far as she could see, and without her visor to dim the light, it hurt to look at. After a moment, the door closed of its own accord and she was left to sit on the floor that was stained with her own energon.

She hoped she had done the right thing and that she hadn't just handed the 'cons something that could turn the tides of the war on this planet. It was too late now to worry about that. But, it wasn't too late to consider an escape plan, especially if Knockout planned upon keeping her on the floor instead of dangling from the ceiling.


	4. Chapter 4

**IV**

Interceptor stood on the edge of a hill that humans most likely would consider a cliff. As per the 'con's request, he'd set his signal scrambler to its maximum setting. It seemed the slagger didn't trust his brethren any more than Interceptor trusted him.

Within moments of turning on the scrambler, a harrier jet painted in black and red came down through the cloud cover high overhead. Out of habit, Interceptor brought his ion canons to bear, keeping the jet in his sights. It wouldn't do to have the 'con get the drop on him.

Downbeat transformed once he was beyond the edge of the scrambler's field and landed before Interceptor, his armaments at the ready as well. Both mechs smirked at the sight of the other. It seemed they thought alike in some terms. Interceptor preferred to think he was far better than the likes of Downbeat. And that he was more than capable of taking the other mech down, regardless of his size.

A staring match began upon Downbeat's landing, neither mech willing to be the first to lower his weapons. There was no trust or love lost between them, only their common interest in Fusion's well being kept them from opening up with everything they had. It was this single link that had brought them together again. Though they both had hoped to never see the other again, unless it was on the battlefield.

'This is stupid, I should just get up to the Nemesis on my own and rescue her. Fusion doesn't need this slagging 'con,' Interceptor kept his optics locked on the 'con in question.

"You wouldn't make it alone," Downbeat spat, his optics narrowing. Interceptor revved motors deep inside his chest, a sound that reminded Downbeat of the growls of the nocturnal beasts of this dirtball of a planet.

"That remains to be seen 'con," Interceptor retorted.

"This is pointless. Either we work together or that blasted femme gets herself killed. Which would you rather? Working with a 'slagging Decepticon' or allowing Knockout to kill your little friend?" Downbeat asked, knowing he was pushing it. He could see it reflected in the police car's optics. He hoped that all of these words would get back to Fusion, hopefully keep her at a safe distance from him from now on.

Interceptor considered the red and black 'con for a moment. His optics took in the too skinny form that towered over him by a good seven feet. The 'con had never spoken in such a way around Fusion, always teasing her and treating her like a younger sibling, someone he wanted to protect. But now, it seemed the truth was emerging. The young femme had apparently been a passing fascination, a new toy he wanted to play with at first, but had since lost his interest, but that didn't mean he wanted another 'con playing with it.

This satisfied Interceptor to no end. To know that this 'con would no longer be in Fusion's life was a very good thing. Now, if only he knew how to get rid of him on a more permanent basis. He was tempted to just shoot him now, get it over with, but then that took him back to the predicament of retrieving Fusion from the Nemesis.

"Very well, how do you suggest we reach your master's vessel?" Interceptor lowered his ion canons as he spoke, but did not disarm them.

Considering how to explain his plan, Downbeat found himself taking a single step back, hoping the trigger-happy Autobot wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"Have you ever seen a human motion picture called Star Wars?" Downbeat started off, crossing his arms over the cockpit that made up his chest plating. He waited for the incredulous expression on Interceptor's faceplate to be replaced by one of understanding.

Standing directly across from Downbeat, his processor dumfounded by the question asked of him, Interceptor regarded the 'con with a new sense of disgust. What did human entertainment have to do with the situation at hand?

Before Interceptor could pose his question as to the purpose of this knowledge, Downbeat held up a hand and stopped him.

"In 'A New Hope', which happens to be the 4th episode, by the way; Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Chewbacca infiltrate an enemy vessel to rescue Princess Leia. I suggest we follow the humans' lead on this little rescue mission of ours. There's not a 'con alive that would believe you were a turncoat, at least, none that have met you in person," Downbeat explained pointedly.

With dread, Interceptor had a sneaking suspicion where this was headed. And he didn't even have to have experienced this 'movie' first hand.

"You 'cons must be dumber than I thought, if you think they would believe a slimline like you could capture me alone!" Interceptor spat, his canons rotating in time to the anger thrumming through his processor.

A smirk greeted Interceptor's fury, "So, you have seen it?"

Hours passed, the plan being formulated between the two mechs. At times, they even forgot that they were enemies, working hard on how to free their mutual friend. These times, however, were short lived, as one of them would remember and a fight would follow. Rarely did the fights get beyond a simple shouting and shoving match, but more than once, a canon was brought into the fight, until the mech wielding it remembered why he was sharing this space with the other.

Both agreed that it would be wisest to move ahead with the plan in two Earth days' time. Give the 'cons time to settle down and forget that Downbeat was the newest amongst them. By then, Downbeat was hoping Soundwave would forget about watching him closely and return to his close surveillance of Megatron's second in command instead.

For now, he would have to bide his time, considering the consequences of his actions wouldn't help the time pass any faster either. At least there was now a plan in place and he could return to his, mostly, inactive life aboard the Nemesis.

Downbeat had left Interceptor behind, emerging from the scrambling shield's protection on foot. In case Ravage or Laserbeak happened to be around, they would, hopefully, have lost track of him long before he had met up with Interceptor. This, he knew, would not be common knowledge unless they chose to reveal themselves.

Transforming into the black harrier jet he had scanned and adopted as his own form, Downbeat made his way beyond the Earth's atmosphere to where the Nemesis orbited. He had never seen the purpose of using the bridges every time he wanted to leave or return to the ship. It seemed very lazy to him. Though, he supposed having wings made a difference as well.

Stepping into the gray interior of the vessel, he glanced around the corridors, locking optics with the drones. None of them paid him much mind. The worry of someone questioning him slowly melted away as he turned and walked toward his personal quarters.

Before he could reach them, Knockout stepped around the corner and blocked his path, a satisfied look on his faceplate. Downbeat stopped a few feet from the medic and considered him calmly. What had him looking so satisfied? Had he finally broken poor Fusion's spirit?

"You will be glad to know that Sparklet," Downbeat cringed as this pet name passed Knockout's lips, "is perfectly fine. She's started to behave herself now and is even being treated to a reward."

"Why should I care what you do with the 'bot?" Downbeat ground out, momentarily hating himself for his own words.

"Oh, you know why. And so does she, in fact, you could say that it's thanks to you that she's decided to be a good little girl now," Knockout purred out before walking around Downbeat's tall form and making his way toward the bridge of the ship.

Downbeat watched him go, feeling a slight sense of deja' vu. He considered the medic's words – understanding instantly what it meant. As well as understanding that the plan may need a few adjustments to work now. He'd been counting on Knockout being too busy to notice that the new prisoner was unharmed. But, if Fusion had given up whatever information the medic had been wanting...

Without a second thought, Downbeat sent out a coded message to Interceptor. He hoped that it would sound like white noise that came from the planet almost at a constant rate, but knew he was taking a chance contacting the Autobot at all. But plans changed, and when there was more than one mech involved in the plans, there had to be chances taken.


	5. Chapter 5

**V**

Fusion looked up from her position on the floor, wondering just how long it would be before Knockout came back, announcing that it had been a joke and that it was time to return to the normal routine. Her optics focused on the outline of the door and the control panel that was situated beside it. A drone stood there, his visor-like optic glowing slightly in the dim light. He had always been there, she supposed. She just hadn't noticed him.

Pain did funny things to one's processor. It was as though she was seeing the small (by most Cybertronian standards) chamber for the first time; now that she was situated on the floor and not hanging by the wrists from the ceiling. Her optics roamed the room, avoiding the area directly around her where the energon still pooled. There was nothing to it, really. Just a rectangular room with gray plating for walls, ceiling, and floor. The seams in the plating glowed with a faint purple, close to the same color as the energon that ran through her veins. There was a single vent midway up the wall, far too high for her to reach. Knockout could reach it easily, meaning it was around five feet above her head. She cursed herself for getting rid of the thrusters that Aero had built into her legs so that she was lighter. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea.

With effort, she moved her hands to her faceplate and wiped away the energon that had dried there from her injuries. Her left optic unshuttered slightly, but the vision was so blurred she didn't see the point of keeping it open, even partially. There was pain lacing through the circuitry behind the optic, most likely trying to tell her that there was severe damage located there. There was nothing she could do about it right now, so she ignored it as well as she could.

'Escaping is going to be a lot harder than I had hoped,' Fusion sighed as she realized she was not thinking clearly at all. Each time she would consider a new escape route, her processor would go to something else. Anything from her sparkling-hood to how she had joined the Autobots. It was depressing to think that her normally clear mind was so befuddled by a few days of torture (such a small thing! Ha).

Sliding her bound hands down to her chest plate, she tried to wipe the energon from there as well. When it became clear that it wasn't going to come off, she gave up and settled her hands onto her lap, stretching out her right leg, cringing at how the joints pulled against the inner workings of her leg. Apparently spending so long unused had frozen a few of the pieces required for smooth movement.

The wall was too far behind her to be leaned against, and regardless of how reckless she may be feeling at the moment, she listened to the warning from Knockout. It was time to 'behave' so she didn't have to deal with the cable hanging from the ceiling as well as the bonds on her wrists. So she put up with leaning forward slightly, her good optic focusing on the bonds. There was no key hole in them, unlike the ones she had seen human authorities using on other humans. Instead there was a single seam on each side. Only a 'con with high enough clearance could remove them. And she doubted Downbeat had that high of clearance.

Of course, she was uncertain of whether or not Downbeat would help her, if he even had the chance. She'd not seen him since he'd been sent to call Knockout away. Why had she given Knockout those coordinates?

Because she was an Autobot. Period. End of story. She couldn't allow someone else to be tortured or killed just because she wouldn't give up something as randomly stupid as energon deposit coordinates. Why couldn't the 'cons find them for themselves? It wasn't like she was a particularly upgraded 'bot. Actually, she had avoided upgrades for a very long time. Especially those geared toward battle.

Sighing, Fusion raised her head, stopping midway as whatever had been dislodged by Megatron sent pain piercing throughout her body. That was when she realized just how alone she really was. Aside from a 'con she'd not seen in two days, there was no one there that cared about her or about what happened to her. Those who did care about her were so far away that they'd never learn what had happened. Suddenly it seemed far too much for her to handle and she found herself sinking into a pit of despair.

Just as she was about to give up, the drone by the door made a sound. For the last five Earth days, Fusion had been completely unaware of his presence; he had been that quiet. And, now, all of a sudden, he was announcing his presence. Dragging herself out of her well of self-pity, she watched as the drone took a single step forward, looking to either side as though he was afraid someone or something would suddenly appear out of thin air. Fusion found herself looking as well, even though she could hear Aero's voice in her mind, chastising her for being foolish.

Once the drone had seemingly decided it was safe, he walked up to where she sat and knelt before her. He seemed to be examining her closely, considering what he would say to her. She watched him cautiously, wondering how anyone could just stand by and watch while another was being tortured. But, she had to admit, his life probably hadn't been the best. Being designed to be a clone of almost everyone around you couldn't leave you much room for personal growth.

The drone reached out a hand, stopping midway between the two of them when Fusion shrank away. Over the course of her captivity, she had learned that others reaching out to her on this ship tended to mean pain.

"I... am sorry," the drone murmured, barely loud enough for her to hear.

With a jerk of her head, Fusion stared at the drone. His hand still hovered there and he continued to stare at her. Just maybe she wasn't so alone on board this ship of horrors. Would this drone help her escape? Or would he turn on her?

Questions and worries continued to dance through her mind, all the while the drone sat there, his hand extended to her. With no answers, but a sense that he was her one hope aboard the Nemesis, she lifted her bound hands and lightly touched his outstretched one, smiling wanly at the apology he offered.

"Thank you," Fusion said, her own voice barely above a whisper.

Without another word, the drone removed his hand and stood to his full height, returning to his post just as the door swept aside, flooding the chamber with the same brilliantly bright light. Fusion flinched from the brightness, having been watching the nameless drone return to his post. Knockout's silhouette stopped momentarily, the head swinging toward the drone, before he made up his mind to enter the chamber fully. When the door closed, Fusion looked up to her torturer. Knockout returned the look, crossing his arms over his chestplate, a data pad clutched in one hand.

"It would seem you have friends on the surface, Sparklet," Knockout started, tapping the pad against his arm as he regarded her solemnly. Fusion returned the look, wondering if he'd had a run-in with Interceptor. There was no damage to his armor, so she had a feeling that it hadn't been him dealing with the law enforcement officer personally.

"Met Interceptor, did you?" Fusion couldn't help but smirk at the look that crossed his faceplate.

"So that's his name. He is more 'con than 'bot, according to the drones that actually returned from the scouting trip," Knockout replied conversationally, uncrossing his arms and making a show of reading from the datapad in his hand, "Fifteen drones sent to Rio Branco – as the humans call the city there – three returned with an impressive amount of damage. They were the only ones."

This news did not surprise Fusion in the least, but she kept a calm expression on her face, bending her right knee once more and leaning against the leg. It seemed she was beginning to wear down, barely even registering that she should probably be alarmed that he was sharing this information with her.

Knockout regarded her silently, appearing to be contemplating what his next move should be. Fusion found that she didn't really care anymore. It would most likely be painful, yes, but there really wasn't much she could do about it, was there? She could see the drone standing in his place beside the door, watching in silences as Knockout knelt before her and forced her to look at his face. He had the most serious expression on his faceplate she had seen from him. Normally he had a cocky smirk plastered there. A sudden urge to laugh rose up with this realization.

She covered it by coughing, pulling her head from his grip and coughing long and hard into her right shoulder where there was still armor. Energon splattered the pink metal, but she ignored it. It probably wouldn't be the last time she coughed it up.

The tapping of the datapad on her unarmored shoulder drew her attention back to him. By the look on his face, she had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what was going to happen next.

"Come now Sparklet, looks like you're the one paying the price for your friend's mistakes," Knockout growled, gripping her beneath the arm and forcing her to stand. She followed without a fight at first, knowing she wouldn't be able to truly hurt the bigger mech. Especially since her head was only as high as his lower she fully comprehended his words and, gasping, she pulled back from him. Forgetting that only one ankle worked now; she nearly fell - only Knockout's grip on her arm stopped her from falling to the floor. Panic set in, the fear that she was to return to the cable and that her chance at escape would end here and now taking over her actions.

Using what strength she could muster with her hands still tied together and half the energon from her body (she swore that was how much she was standing in) she shoved against him, trying to put some distance between herself and the medic. Glaring, Knockout reached out and grabbed the back of her collar, pulling her around so that she no longer faced him. With the danger of being struck gone, he proceeded to lift her up so that her feet were no longer touching the floor. He then carried her to one of the darkened corners, dropping her unceremoniously onto a berth that sat there. Another thing she had failed to notice, even while sitting alone in the room.

With one hand planted firmly on her chestplate, Knockout easily held her down while he pulled her bound hands above her head once more, securing them to a loop that had been added to the berth. The panic subsided slightly as she realized she was no longer to be hung from the ceiling, but the fear of what was going to happen now remained.

As Knockout moved down to her feet, switching hands on her chestplate, she pulled experimentally on the loop above her head, there was no give whatsoever. The cuffs were attached directly to it. Sighing, she turned her face away from the side that looked out on the room, feeling more than seeing Knockout securing her legs as well. Pain told her when he was handling the fused ankle. His movements with it were gentler than she would have believed possible, but there was little doubt in her mind that the 'gentle' Knockout was about to be replaced by the ruthless one once again.

"Next time you see this Interceptor, you'll have to thank him for forcing my hand, Sparklet," Knockout spoke as he walked back along the side of the berth, stopping when he reached her head. She continued to stare at the wall, willing herself not to listen to him. Interceptor would never harm her, not on purpose, even through another. This was something she knew for certain. All of this was her own fault for not paying enough attention to what was happening around her.

Lights flared on above her, causing her to flinch again. Once her good optic became accustomed to the brightness, she waited for the nightmare to begin again.

She didn't have to wait long.


	6. Chapter 6

**VI**

D-99 stood there, watching. Always watching, never acting. How long would it be before she gave up, her spark failing or her processor finally shutting down for good? He had expected her to go into stasis lock long ago. Perhaps by the second or third day of the sessions. Knockout had done this before, knew how to get information from the hardest shelled of warriors. Yet, this tiny scout had not broken. In fact, she seemed to be gaining strength, even as her body was torn away.

A moment ago, he'd noticed something strange for the medic. The care he took when placing the injured ankle into the cuff. Something was different about the way he treated this Autobot. Almost as if he didn't want to be doing what he was.

She screamed, pulling D-99 from his thoughts; he forced himself to keep watching, remembering all of the wrongs that his master wrought upon her. All of it on Megatron's orders. Seeing and understanding this had awakened emotions in him that he'd never known he had before. It was the first time in his long life that he had considered the possibility of options.

A memory flickered in his processor as he watched. One of Knockout mentioning the name of a Decepticon that was associated with the scout. Beatdown? No... Downbeat. A red and black mech who had scanned a human aircraft for his alternate mode. He'd seen him walking around the ship. Downbeat was new, was being watched by the watcher, Soundwave. Perhaps, when his shift was over, it would be time for him to meet this Downbeat. The scout needed help. And to help her, he would need it too.

Knockout stopped shortly after the scream had finished echoing in the small room. D-99 thought he heard sobs coming from the small femme. And watched in fascination as Knockout proceeded to soothe her, putting her into a recharge cycle. This was confusing to D-99, why cause such pain if you were only going to stop it? Compassion for his prisoners was not something Knockout was known for. If you were his patient, yes, he could be very compassionate.

With a sigh, Knockout straightened up and rotated the joints of his shoulders. The round red panels that served as his armor and the front of his alternate mode shifted up and down as he did so. He then turned toward D-99, tossing aside the device he had been using on the scout.

"Watch her, make sure her repair systems are working properly," Knockout ordered, walking toward the door. When he came up even with D-99, he stopped and looked at the drone.

Standing with the door open, Knockout looked D-99 up and down as though he was ready to say something. However, he seemed to think better of it and turned away, leaving the room to the silence of only the recharging scout and D-99's own whirring systems.

Once the door was closed and the lights had dimmed again, D-99 walked to where the femme lay, her face calm and relaxed. A contrast to how she was just a few moments ago. There was more energon around her than there had been when she was hanging from the cable. Knockout had truly been angry about the loss of the drones. He had to admit, he'd been angry too – losing that many brothers for such a fruitless reason. Yet, he blamed Knockout far more than he blamed the scout, who was coerced into giving the position up.

D-99 looked at the new wounds, all of them deep. Circuitry showed through her already exposed abdomen. Gashes had been carved so deep into the armor of her legs, chest, and arms that energon continued to leak out. Even as he watched, her self-repair systems began their work. The system was not powerful enough to fix something like her ankle, but it would seal the gashes. Nanites appeared, glowing as they crawled across the surface of her body. It would take them awhile to fix all of the damage, but at least they were doing their job.

With some trepidation, D-99 set his hand upon the armor of her right shoulder. There was no damage there as though Knockout had decided the damage he had inflicted upon the left side was enough.

"I will help you," D-99 promised, removing his hand from her shoulder and turning away to return to his post. He would seek out Downbeat when his replacement arrived. If he proved to be useless, D-99 would find a way to remove the scout from this prison. He would make sure she was free again.


	7. Chapter 7

**VII**

Downbeat looked up at the drone who stood before him. Soundwave had enlisted his assistance in disseminating some information Ravage had gathered earlier in the day and he'd been completely focused upon it when the drone made his appearance. He didn't know how long this particular drone had been standing there, but he was fairly certain that it had been quite sometime. He had a feeling that the drone had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

"Can I assist you with something?" Downbeat asked, a little annoyed at having the drone standing there.

"I have a message for you, I was asked to deliver it to you personally," the drone stated, handing the larger Decepticon a data pad. Downbeat took the pad, setting it aside without reading it. When the drone didn't leave, he looked back at him again.

"Was there something else?" Downbeat demanded, realizing that the others around him were noticing the conversation.

The drone thought for a moment, looking toward the pad. Downbeat watched him, wondering if he hadn't found one of the slower of the drones.

"No," the drone's voice was sharp and the answer short. He turned away then and walked toward the exit.

Downbeat watched him go, looked back at the pad, decided whoever it was from would just have to wait, and returned to his current task. The pad was quickly forgotten as he dug deeper into the information Soundwave was sending to him to sift through. He didn't remember it again until much later. When it was far too late.

Standing outside of the doorway to the information center of the Nemesis, D-99 considered what had just occurred with Downbeat. It had seemed that the mech was far more interested in the task his master had put forth for him than anything else. He would give Downbeat until tomorrow to get back with him about the scout. If he did not, then D-99 would consider the answer a no. And he would go ahead with his own plan.

The message he had sent to the surface had been very basic and encoded to look like medical information directed to a fellow drone. It was not unusual for Knockout to ask him to do such things, so the message should be ignored. Even if it was not, there was nothing in it to tip any other off as to what it was truly about. It had been designed by one of his brothers, an expert in encoding messages.

It would take longer for the reply from that message to get back to decided him on giving Downbeat an extra day to get back to him. As long as it didn't go beyond three Earth days. Any longer and he feared the worse for the small femme in Knockout's 'care'. Stepping around a few of his brothers, ignoring the curious looks and communications from them, he proceeded toward his quarters, his processor working over the details of a possible plan. Tomorrow, he would forgo his normal routine and simply return to the cell, Knockout would think nothing of it. The medic had charged D-99 with observing the scout's repair systems and that was what he was going to be doing. Along with helping them out a little bit.

"This will never work," Interceptor growled, glaring up at Downbeat. The taller 'con was attempting to lock the energy bands around Interceptor's wrists. They seemed to want to cooperate as much as the mech who was to wear them.

An Earth day had passed since the drone interrupted Downbeat's work. The pad still lay on the desk of his personal quarters, untouched. Whatever the message had been about, apparently it had not been important or whoever had sent it would have either sent another or come looking for him. There had been no mechs aboard the Nemesis that he had a personal relationship with, so it was unlikely it was a social engagement. Yet something continued to nag at the back of his mind.

A hand slammed against the side of Downbeat's helm and an ion cannon whirred to life inches from his face. He looked at Interceptor, his optics narrowed at the Autobot enforcement officer.

"Keep your mind on the here and now, 'con! Or I'll slag you and do this on my own – got it?" Interceptor growled, lowering the cannon when Downbeat nodded.

"A lot has happened since we last met," Downbeat said quietly, he'd heard a few rumors about Fusion. But had not seen her since the summons for Knockout from Megatron. It seemed that Knockout had taken to her though and this made him fear even worse for the diminutive femme.

"Push it from your mind," Interceptor ordered, "Distracted you are no good to either Fusion or myself. I will not be deactivated while bound. If you get me slagged while on that fragging ship, I swear I will take you with me."

A smirk was the only response Downbeat offered as he finally got the energy cuffs onto the irritable mech. With a final touch, the crackling energy surged on, sapping some of Interceptor's strength while rendering his cannons ineffective. Downbeat could tell the Autobot didn't care for that in the least. But the last thing they needed now was a guard noticing that the prisoner's weapons were fully operational.

"To disengage these yourself, just hit them here," Downbeat indicated the lower edge of the cuffs where a pin had been inserted. Interceptor proceeded to practice with the disabling of the cuffs, timing himself until he got it down to two nanoklicks.

"Now for the fun part," Interceptor grinned broadly as he set the cuffs aside and raised his right fist, swinging hard. He never gave Downbeat a chance to avoid the blow.

"D-99, Downbeat is bringing a new prisoner," Knockout turned from the side of the patient he was treating and looked directly at the drone as he spoke, "I believe you will be happy to know who it is."

D-99 looked up from the screen he had been working with, his hands still splayed over the keypad. The medic had noticed how distracted his favorite assistant had been as of late. He had a feeling it was because of the young femme he had come to call Sparklet. D-99 had been paying more attention to her than before. It was one of the reasons why he'd brought D-99 out of the cell and into the medbay again.

"It would seem that your fellow drones will be avenged," Knockout continued before turning back to his patient, "Go and help him bring the Autobot called Interceptor to the brig. I'll be there momentarily."

D-99 nodded and turned from his current work. Knockout watched him leave the medbay silently. It had not been the reaction he'd been expecting.

Without hesitation, D-99 made his way to the airlock where he could hear the guard drones scurrying about, along with shouting and great amounts of cursing. Standing there, his arms folded across his chestplate, was Downbeat. He was watching as a broad Autobot with a star surrounding the Autobot emblem on his chest threw guards about as though they were playthings. This was Interceptor, the one who destroyed 16 drones and severely injured three others. He was a navy blue in color with yellow markings at various places on his chassis, most likely human writing on the alternate mode he had chosen. Energon was splattered on his armor and one of his four yellow optics was non-functional. Downbeat looked as much worse for wear. A fight must have occurred prior to Interceptor's capture.

D-99 found himself wondering how a single Decepticon had managed to take down an Autobot enforcer who had destroyed a swarm of drones. Regardless, he believed he now had his answer to the message he had sent to Downbeat. A plain and simple, no. Downbeat was no longer an ally of the scout. So, D-99 was on his own, unless he could convince Interceptor to assist him.

And find a way to free the Autobot.

He watched as Breakdown, a friend of Knockout, sneaked up on Interceptor from behind while he was busy with no less than ten drones in the front. Interceptor noticed Breakdown's approach, D-99 was certain of it, but he chose not to react. This gave D-99 a suspicious feeling and he knew he would have to find a way to speak with the larger mech later on.

Breakdown shoved his arm cannon into Interceptor's back and muttered something to the law enforcement officer. Interceptor tossed the drone that was clasping to one of his massive arms aside. D-99 watched as his D-105 slid to the deck plating and remained where he landed. Anger rose from his spark, but he ignored it. The scout was more important than his anger with this mech. Instead, he went to D-105 when Breakdown walked by with Interceptor walking before him. D-99 made certain that his brother was still functioning before telling two others to take him down to the medbay. He then followed Breakdown and the prisoner. As soon as Knockout left the brig, D-99 would speak with Interceptor.


	8. Chapter 8

**VIII**

"Looks like you've been given a reprieve Sparklet," Knockout stood beside the berth where the Autobot scout was still lying. Her wounds were healing slowly, the nanites being pushed to their limit by the extent of the damage he had inflicted.

She looked up at him calmly, both optics now operational thanks to her self-repair program. Ever since he had re-established the program, she'd been a lot calmer. Of course, the fact that he had not inflicted any more damage to her body was probably a reason as well. And, for some reason, he found himself hoping he would not have to do so again.

"What other victim do you have now?" she asked, her vocoder still raspy. Whatever had been broken when Megatron pulled her head too far was still broken. It was most likely too advanced for her self-repair system to take care of. If it turned out she was no longer needed for information, he would repair it. However, he'd heard nothing from Megatron on that front, even though he had asked shortly after the arrival of Interceptor.

"An old friend of yours, I believe," Knockout replied smugly. The look that crossed her face told him she knew exactly who even before she spoke.

"Primus how did you manage to get him?" her voice was lower than before and she let herself sink further down on the berth. If her arms hadn't been pulled over her head and latched there, she most likely would have rolled away from him. As it was, she couldn't move.

"Another old friend of yours," Knockout stated grimly. He believed that Downbeat and Interceptor were working together, but if he could convince her that her friend had turned against her, then he had the possibility of destroying their plans.

She was silent for a moment, he could almost see the gears turning in her head as she considered his words. He really knew very little of the relationship between the little Autobot and the Decepticon, Downbeat. But he got the sense that the two had become close at some point in time. Perhaps even long before they'd reached Earth.

"I don't believe you..." she responded finally, her optics daring him to respond as he would have any other day. She was to be disappointed. There was no reason for him to torture her at the moment and he was starting to see who she was beyond the agony he'd caused her.

Though he wasn't sorry for all the sessions, he did find that he wanted to know who she really was. Regardless of what she thought of him; Megatron would never let her leave in one piece. Knockout was certain of that. He hoped to convince her to switch sides so that he could keep an optic on her. Unfortunately, that may be harder than he had first believed.

Just like her strength during the torture, her convictions were strong and straightforward. If he was going to break them, he'd have to find a way to prove to her that those she most trusted were turning against her.

"You should. Downbeat brought Interceptor on board last evening. Your enforcement friend is currently in the brig, behind an energy field that could fry Megatron, should he step into it," Knockout explained, leaning on the side of the berth and looking down at her face. The nanites were working on healing the scratch he'd given her. They were nearing the end of their work if they were focused on something so small and insignificant.

"Why did you reset my repair system?" she asked it quietly, changing the subject to something she found less frightening no doubt.

"Very well, Sparklet, if you do not wish to see the truth. But I leave you to ponder one thing," Knockout said, raising a finger in front of her optics, waiting for her to focus on him again, "What do you think will happen when Megatron decides you are no longer of any use to him?"

She looked at him silently, her optics betraying the turmoil she was experiencing over the possibilities. He wondered if she was asking herself if she had survived all of this only to die at the hands of Megatron for not having any useful information stored in her processor.

When she tried to look away, Knockout reached out and clasped her chin firmly, forcing her to return her gaze to him. She needed to consider this, the consequences of being a prisoner aboard the flagship of the Decepticons. There were never survivors here, unless they switched allegiances and proved themselves to Megatron.

"You are a very stubborn 'bot, Sparklet," Knockout chided, not releasing her chin, though she continued to try and pull away.

"My...Name...Is...FUSION," she growled, yanking her head from his grip and glaring at him. Knockout looked down at her, unblinking. She returned the look, her optics narrowed and the blue glowing a bit brighter than ever before.

When she had arrived, her right optic had already been damaged and her expression grim and defeated. He had hated her that day. So weak and frail. He'd believed she would be deactivated before the sun set on the planet below them. But she had proven him wrong and he'd grown to respect her for that. Perhaps even care for her, however slightly.

"My my, we are being spirited now, aren't we?" Knockout smirked at the look he received and the way she pulled at her bonds. There was little to no give in them, yet she tried anyway.

"When I get out of these bonds..." she began only to have him interrupt her.

"What will you do, Sparklet? Kill me? With that one little energon cannon? I doubt it," Knockout spat, bringing his hand down, hard, on her leg. The sound of metal hitting metal rang around the cell and she winced at the pain. It wouldn't do for her to think he was going soft. Even if she chose to switch sides, she would have to be aware of the consequences of crossing him.

The glare she sent his way was twinged with a small edge of fear and hate. He leaned over her, placing his hands on either side of her body and bringing his face closer to hers. She shrank back from him as far she could.

"You will behave, Sparklet. There is no rescue coming. Your friends have either abandoned you or been placed in confinement. And I am quite sure that you were being completely truthful when you claimed you did not know the whereabouts of the Autobot base on this little planet. You...are...ALONE," Knockout stated with force, slamming his hand down on the berth beside her. The jump and cringe satisfied him that his message had been received and understood.

With a much more gentle movement, he cupped the side of her helmet with his hand and ran his thumb along her cheek, "I am sorry Sparklet, but you need to know the truth. You shouldn't die just because you are an Autobot. What good does that do when there's no one around to defend?"

Having said his piece, Knockout stood, sliding his hand down the side of her face as he did so. Once he was at his full height, he moved to examine the injuries her self-repair program could not fix. The ankle was in very bad shape; all of the wiring and circuitry would have to be replaced. A few of the gouges from their last bout had been too severe for the nanites to fix, but they had stopped the flow of energon. He would have to get her to the medbay to handle these injuries, but without Megatron's go-ahead, he was unable to do so. Perhaps he should speak with Starscream. The second-in-command was always trying to find ways to undermine their leader.

Before he could consider what he should say, the door swept open and Breakdown ran in, his motors whirring with exhaustion. He had gashes and scorch marks on his armor. Energon leaked from his left optic and his left wrist seemed to be dislodged from its proper position.

"What is it, Breakdown?" Knockout demanded, setting the scanner he had intended upon running over the femme's body down.

"He's escaped. That Autobot enforcer, he's gone. No one knows how he made it through the field," Breakdown grumbled, watching as his friend's faceplate went from annoyance to unfettered anger, "I caught up to him near here, but he managed to slip away. Fraggin' 'bot should have been a 'con."

That statement confirmed what the surviving drones had said about the Autobot law enforcement officer. It also told Knockout it was time for some stronger measures that threatening and physical encounters. With a look at D-99, in his usual place near the door, Knockout followed Breakdown from the cell. As soon as they stepped into the corridor, the battle was heard. A war cry that sounded like a raging cybercat rebounded throughout the metal interior of the ship. Blasters, ion cannons, energon cannons, even the occasional physical blow could be heard. All of it echoed, making pinpointing its source near impossible.

"Come Breakdown, I've got a little surprise for our Autobot friend," Knockout slapped his old friend on the shoulder, leading him toward the medbay. He had been waiting for a chance to try out his newest interrogation technique. Now seemed like as good a time as any.


	9. Chapter 9

**IX**

The moment the door slid shut, D-99 moved to Fusion's side. He had heard her name and he would use, unlike the medic. Without thought, he extended the vibroblade that was hidden in his arm, making short work of the loop that Fusion's bonds were attached to. He moved to her feet, cautious of the injured ankle, then stepped back and watched as she sat up and stretched the stiffness from her body.

"Come, there is little time," D-99 urged, moving forward to help her stand. Once she was on her feet, he slipped beneath her shoulder and helped support her. The ankle would not hold her weight.

"My friend, if you are caught..." Fusion started, only to stop speaking when she saw the serious look on his faceplate. She had learned how to read his emotions better than any Decepticon, even Knockout, had. Her ability to observe and learn intrigued him. There was much more to her than met the optic. He only wished he would get a chance to learn it all.

"I am taking you to the bridge room. There we will go to the surface. Interceptor will meet us along the way," D-99 explained as they reached the door. When it slid aside, he rushed her into the corridor beyond.

&*&

Fusion fought to keep up and not be a burden on her new-found friend. If he had come to her any later, she hated to think what could have happened. Knockout had been making a good argument for her turning to the 'cons, if even for a short enough time to escape. But she hated to think what life would have been like at that point. But her friend, a drone whom she still did not know the name of, had seen fit to let her know that he had been in contact with Interceptor. It had taken a great deal of acting on her part to play the surprised femme when Knockout 'revealed' Interceptor's whereabouts.

As they moved through the corridors, the sounds of battle could be heard. Weapon fire echoed all around the metal deckplating. It was nearly impossible for her to judge where the combatants were or were not. So far, thankfully, they had not run into the thick of it. A few drones rushed past, but paid them no heed. Fusion found herself wondering about these drones. Were they friends of her rescuer, or did they simply not care, deciding he was doing as he had been told? Regardless, she continued to move.

They passed through winding corridors, moving quickly around corners, past signs of battle. The plating on the walls was scored with ionization from cannon fire. Smaller pockmarks showed where metal ammunition had hit the walls as well. Energon and the bodies of drones littered the floors. Fusion looked to the drone beside her, trying to judge how he felt about this destruction. She only saw determination.

"It is not much farther," the drone intoned from beside her nearly 20 minutes later.

Her only reply was a nod. She was in pain, but did not want to slow their progress. It had been a long time since she was forced to travel any distance and her energon reserves were beginning to get low again. Knockout had given her just enough to make it through the sessions and the times between. It was never truly enough for her body.

The signs of battle had faded behind them like a nightmare. Still, sounds reached them from time to time. Fusion wondered where Interceptor was, hoping he was okay. It was true, what the large mech who had come to fetch Knockout had said. Interceptor fought more like a 'con than an Autobot, but he was still mortal.

"I'm sorry, but I can't..." Fusion started, only to start coughing and forcing the drone to stop all forward motion. She brought her hand to her mouth and coughed long and hard, energon spraying her fist.

"We must continue before we are discovered," the drone urged, trying to pull on her arm.

She pulled away, leaning against the wall. Her motors working hard to cool her inner workings. The injuries were catching up.

Coming to stand beside her, the drone ran his hand a foot from her body. He had done this before and she knew it was because he had medical programming that gave him this unique ability. It also meant that he was not nearly as well armed as his brethren. Once he was finished scanning her, he ran the diagnostic internally, searching for the problems with her systems. With a sound that seemed to be a mixture between a squeak of surprise and a growl, he looked back at her.

After a few nanoklicks of indecision, he swept her into his long arms and began to run. Fusion made her own squeak of surprise and indignation at being carried. She wasn't a complete invalid!

&*&

What he saw in the scans terrified him. D-99 made the decision to carry Fusion; in order not to exacerbate her internal injuries or use more of her low energon reserves than necessary. She was not heavy, in fact she was even lighter than she should be, due to the missing armor and low energon reserves. However, she was struggling against him, making it very difficult to carry her. He did not want to frighten her, did not want to remind her of her former torturer, but he had to do something to stop her from struggling.

Tapping her side, he shook his head and indicated that silence was needed. They were approaching Ravage territory. It was very likely that the feline-like Decepticon would be lurking in the shadows. If that was the case, they would have to be prepared to run. He was not strong enough to defeat Ravage.

A noise to the right of their position had him slowing down. He cocked his head to the side, listening intently. Fusion lay in his arms, perfectly still, her optics narrowed as she searched the shadows for signs of an enemy. When no other signs of another being nearby came, D-99 began to move forward once more. The bridge room was only a few more turns away. So far they had been very lucky and he knew it.

As they turned the final corner, a form leaped from the shadows near the bridge room. Ravage growled as D-99 came to a full stop. The feline lowered her front end to the floor, preparing to leap. D-99 set Fusion down, making certain she was leaning against the wall before turning back to Ravage. Extending his vibroblade and transforming his other hand into a blaster, he waited for the battle he doubted he could win. If he lost, at least Fusion could claim that he had grabbed her without explanation. Perhaps that would mollify Knockout enough that he was not too hard on her.

Ravage leaped then, her claws reaching for his throat. He swept the vibroblade forward, missing Ravage by centimeters. The sweeping motion did serve to force the feline off of her attack path. She landed near the far wall, growling and hissing.

"You made a mistake, drone!" Ravage spat, turning and running the other way. D-99 felt certain that her master had just called her for assistance and that his fate was officially sealed.

"Who was that?" Fusion demanded, assisting him this time as he lifted her into his arms.

"Ravage, one of Soundwave's 'pets'," D-99 responded dispassionately.

"...You 'con's and your 'pets'," Fusion muttered, looking over his shoulder in the direction Ravage had run.

"I am no longer a Decepticon..." D-99 said it firmly, with conviction, "I believe I have switch sides."

Fusion smiled gently at him before saying, "Welcome to the Autobots. Sucks doesn't it?"

A laugh split the air as D-99 continued on to the doorway which open up on the bridge room.

&*&

The bright light of an ion cannon bolt flew through the air, sizzling beside Interceptor's right audio sensor. It had been close enough to scorch the armor there, as well as pass through the door panel on his back. Ignoring the pain, he returned fire, blowing the drone who had taken the shot into pieces. Steadily, he moved back toward the way he had come, hoping to reach the gate room or bridge room, or whatever the drone had called it. It had been a rough day, taking on an entire crew of a Decepticon battleship alone was no easy task.

Another shot from the left this time, it missed completely. Turning, he saw why. Downbeat was shooting wide and randomly, keeping up appearances, but also clearing the path for him. Interceptor had to admit, he owed the 'con now. He'd have been slagged ten times over if Downbeat hadn't appeared at the most opportune times to act as 'rear guard' to the 'con forces.

Laying down heavy fire, Interceptor took the opportunity Downbeat had presented and turned to disengage. He made it beyond the last corner that lead to the airlock he had been brought in through. As he made his way around this corner, cautiously looking around before walking into the corridor, the sound of metal paws on the deck plating drew his attention. Before he was able to fully turn, the quadruped was on him.

Spinning around and reaching above his head, Interceptor grabbing the spindly 'con and gripped it's sides. It didn't budge, digging claws and teeth into his armor where ever possible. It was impossible for him to position his cannons in a way that would allow him to shoot the creature, without blasting some part of his own body as well.

"Slagging 'con! Get...offa," Interceptor yelled as he knelt before shoving his back against the wall as hard as he could, "ME!"

The quadroped continued to hang on, its claws tearing at the metal that covered Interceptor's back as it looked for purchase to turn its body around for a clearer angle at his throat. If he had anything to say about that, it was not going to happen. With another mighty push, he slammed his body into the wall, causing a concave dent in the heavy metal. The quadroped fell then, being knocked senseless by the move.

Interceptor spun around and lowered his right cannon, preparing to fire, when a new noise caught his attention. It took him a few nanoklicks to place the sound. When it hit him, both literally and figuratively, he cursed himself for being distracted by the quadroped that looked like one of the large felines on the planet below.

Pain spread throughout his body, sending him to his knees. It felt as though the very circuits that formed his nerves were on fire. The pain continued to build, even though there was no longer any contact from the weapon he had heard preparing to fire. As he was falling forward, catching himself with his hands splayed on the gray metal floor, he looked up and saw his attacker. Hatred and pure anger laced through his processor and spark at the sight of the sadistic bastard that had been torturing Fusion ever since her capture. The drone, D-99, had explained it all to him.

In that moment of realization, Interceptor swore that he'd not be brought down by such a coward. And so, he waited, adjusting to the pain, accepting it. All he had to do now was wait for the 'con medic to move in, certain that his victim was down for the count.

&*&

The door to the room that housed the Decepticon version of a ground bridge slid open. It was dark beyond the rectangle of light that came from the corridor. Fusion looked at the equipment that sat in silence around the room. There were a number of consoles, each of them with a distinct function. She wondered if her friend/rescuer knew how to operate any of them.

Before she could ask, the drone moved further into the room, setting her down in one of the vacated seats. He moved about the room with a sense of well-organized urgency that Fusion found herself admiring. Lights flared to life, consoles lit up – beeping as they came online, and the bridge's generator began to hum as it warmed up. A feeling of disconcert continued to needle at the back of her mind as she searched the room fruitlessly for any sign of a guard. Looking over at the drone, she realized he was watching her search, causing her to blush.

"Do not fear, the guards were my friends, they graciously agreed to attend to the battles elsewhere," the drone reassured her, returning to his work with the bridge. He began plugging in coordinates, looking down at a panel that was built into the back of his hand, much the way her own panel was built into her forearm.

"Was that wise?" Fusion asked, narrowing her optics in concern as she continued to watch him work.

"I trust them...they are some of the few I can say that of," the drone explained simply, his fingers flying across the board in front of him.

Though she wanted to ask how he could be so sure, she kept quiet and simply sat, waiting for him to finish. Her attention wandered and she found herself thinking about Interceptor. She wondered wher he was and hoped he was still alive and save. Downbeat also crossed her mind. Her thoughts about him were more questionable. He'd not been seen for so long – had Knockout been telling the truth? Had Downbeat turned on her?

Deep in her spark, she hoped not. But the seeds of distrust had been planted and she couldn't ignore them any longer.

"What is your name?" Fusion asked without warning. Even she was surprised by the question, though it was more surprise at having not asked earlier.

Looking up from his work, the drone looked at her in surprise. His mouth moved as though to say something but, then, stopped. It was as though he was unsure of what to say.

Smiling at him, Fusion coaxed, "You know my name, I would like to know yours."

After a moment's silence, the drone straightened up and looked her squarely in the face, "I have no true name, simply a Designation, D-99."

There was nothing Fusion could think to say to that, as a result she remained silent. When she said nothing else, D-99 returned to his work. While he had his back to the door, it slid open. The sound made Fusion look up. As soon as she did, she tried to launch herself at D-99, only to have her bad ankle fail her.

The blast scorched most of the equipment surrounding the area where D-99 had been working. Metal charred and melted, pooling on the floor near Fusion's head. She watched in agonized silence as the drone she had come to call friend crumpled to the floor. The tears that Knockout could never force to fall now did.

Footsteps shook the deckplating beneath her, but she kept her optics looked on the burnt and smoldering corpse of her friend. A friend who had done nothing but help her and take pity on her. The anger began then and she waited until the one who had killed the only true friend she had made on board this horrific ship was nearly on top of her. Because she didn't want to miss.

&*&

Interceptor watched as the medic indicated that the other should move forward. It seemed Knockout had other plans that he wanted to attend to. He left his weapon with the one who had jammed a cannon into Interceptor's back. The one who had threatened Fusion, should Interceptor fight and cause a ruckus. This one was near the top of his list. Not quite as high as the medic, but close enough for now.

When the 'con was standing close enough that Interceptor could reach him, but not quite far enough for there to be room to fire the large weapon the 'con held, Interceptor rolled onto his side and brought his ion cannon to bear. It was armed and ready, being far quieter than the thing they had used on him. The 'con's optics flew wide. He dodged, but not fast enough.

Scorch marks covered the mech's right shoulder, his armor melted in places. The weapon lay on the decking, smoldering from a direct hit. With a grunt, Interceptor stood, the effects of the weapon beginning to wear off. Holding his cannon out before him, he stalked up to where the 'con sat, leaning against the corridor wall.

Interceptor stopped a few feet from the 'con, his cannon held squarely before the 'con's face. A grin stretched across the red faceplate of the downed Decepticon Wrecker. Something was wrong and Interceptor needed to know what it was.

"I see nothing to laugh about," Interceptor growled, shoving the cannon inches from the Wrecker's faceplate. The yellow optics narrowed, but the grin did not disappear.

"Your femme friend is about to meet Primus personally, catch my drift, 'bot?" the Decepticon's grin grew as Interceptor's optics narrowed, the two top ones moving to view the direction that the medic had gone.

"Longer your here, sooner she'll die."

With a shout of rage, Interceptor lowered the cannon and spun on his heel, running after the medic. He hoped he wasn't too late. Whether or not he was, the medic would die, that was a promise.

As he rushed around the final turn, a flash of light from a weapon firing painted the far bulkhead in blue green light. Moments later, a scream punctuated the air. Interceptor moved faster, sliding around the door's frame and bringing all cannons online, his optics widening as he saw the devastation within the bridge control room.


	10. Chapter 10

**X**

Knockout stalked toward Sparklet, his weapon lowered. She was lying on the floor near the charred remains of the bridge control and of D-99. He should have known the drone was up to something, after all, he had been acting off ever since the day Knockout had punished the little Autobot for her friend's mistake. And now, her optics glared out at him in the dim light of the room, the fire that had been a mere spark an hour before was a full blaze now. There was little doubt that she now hated and despised him. Yet he still found himself unable to destroy her.

"I told you there was no escape from this ship, Sparklet," Knockout said quietly, keeping an optic on her energon cannon. If she fired it, it would do little damage to him, but it could send her into stasis lock.

The femme's arm transformed, energy pulsing along the edges of the armor that split to reveal the hidden weapon. It was built for defense only, designed to drive away possible threats. It also used her own energon as an energy source.

"Are you so willing to die for nothing?" Knockout stopped walking toward her, crossing his arms over his chestplate and glancing at the remains pointedly, "He is already gone."

"And you will be too," Sparklet spat, suddenly rolling away from Knockout. Shocked, Knockout took a single step toward her, but only made it half way as a mass that was roughly a half size larger than his own slammed into him – hard.

By the time he had regained his senses, Sparklet was on her feet, holding her right arm tenderly, the majority of her weight supported on her right leg. Beside her stood an enraged Interceptor, all four of his cannons trained on Knockout. He had enough time to consider his options, maybe. From all accounts, Interceptor was not known for his kindness towards prisoners. If he even took prisoners.

"Foolish femme!" Interceptor snapped, even as he crouched down to check her wounds, handling the arm gingerly. Knockout noted that the cannons were still pointed at him, even though the Autobot seemed to be focused on the femme.

Knockout stood, testing his theory that the weapons system the 'bot had was in fact auto tracking. Sure enough, the barrels of the cannons on the mech's shoulders followed his every more. He resigned himself to waiting for backup. Hoping it came before the crazy mech blew him back to Cybertron.

"I'm fine, Interceptor!" Sparklet said, pulling her injured arm from her friend's grasp. He gave her a reproachful look before turning back to Knockout.

"You are a fine coward, _doctor_," Interceptor growled, stepping closer to Knockout, finding the attempt of the 'con to move back a step very satisfying, judging by the look of glee that crossed his face plate. Of course, with the stations that were positioned there, Knockout could not go far.

"Last I knew, cowards lived to fight another day," Knockout replied, quoting Starscream was not one of his favorite things to do, but it seemed apropos to the current situation.

"Not when they meet me," Interceptor snarled, sounding very much like a male version of Ravage. Knockout strained his audios, hoping to pick up the sound of pounding feet on metal deckplating.

If they showed before Interceptor fragged him, he'd ensure the femme's safety. But, Interceptor would be all theirs. Sparklet, however, was his. He would deal with her in his own way and she would learn the true meaning of the word pain.

&*&*

"Primus Interceptor, if we don't get this fragging thing working, we're done for," Fusion shouted, pulling on his arm and indicating the bridge's rounded entrance. She released him and limped to where D-99 had once stood. She looked at everything but his remains.

As she pounded and pulled on different portions of the station, Interceptor stalked toward the coward of a medic. Knockout, as he was called, seemed nonchalant about the situation, but Interceptor knew a falsehood when he saw it. The medic was scared and had every reason to be. Interceptor's reputation had preceded him to the ship. He'd allowed three drones to live, allowed them to return to their masters with news of how he had destroyed their brothers, and it had worked just as he knew it would.

The pounding of feet reached his audio senors. Backup for the medic was on the way. Interceptor was prepared to fight his way out of this predicament, but Fusion was in no shape for a battle. Her energon levels were dangerously low and many of her systems were malfunctioning as a result of her treatment aboard the Nemesis. Seeing her in such dire straits merely infuriated Interceptor that much more. When the medic died, it would be a nasty, painful, and very slow death. He would make certain of that. Unfortunately, now was not the time.

Pulling back one massive fist, Interceptor closed the distance between himself and the medic, throwing his full weight into the punch. Knockout attempted to avoid the blow, only to come up short against a corner of the wall. Interceptor's fist caught the side of his helmet, knocking him into stasis instantly.

Kneeling beside the unconscious medic, Interceptor spoke quietly so that Fusion would not hear what he said, "I will return for you, 'con. And you will not survive the encounter, I can promise you that. All the horrors you brought upon Fusion will be brought upon you, plus a few I doubt even your sick processor has thought of."

With that said, he stood once more and prepared to defend the furiously working femme. If he had to take out every 'con on board this ship on his own, he would do so. All four cannons whirred back to live, targeting the only entrance into the room. Waiting was the hard part, but soon enough, the wait would be over.

&*&

Fusion ignored the altercation between Interceptor and Knockout, her full attention on the bridge's control panel. At least, she hoped that was what she was currently messing with. The amount of information she had about either space or ground bridges could fit onto on page the size of a pin's head. But she wasn't ready to give up yet. D-99 had given up his life for her and she wasn't going to let that sacrifice be in vane.

A group of five drones stormed the control room, all of them going for Interceptor. The Autobot enforcer took each of them down with little trouble. Knowing he was capable of defending her aft, Fusion continued to work, becoming deaf to the battle that raged behind her.

Ten or so minutes later, Interceptor shouted out, pain laced in his voice. Fusion turned to find Ravage darting in and out of the crowd of drones that the larger Autobot was currently facing. The feline-like Decepticon was striking out with steel claws each time she moved in closer for an attack. Interceptor could not focus on both her and the onslaught of drones. Looking about herself, Fusion found a thick pole, shoved out of the way by those that had worked in the control room. Lifting it experimentally, she swung it in a short arc. She may not be the strongest or fiercest Autobot, but she was still one.

Limping her way toward the last position she had seen Ravage in, Fusion watched silently. This was something she was good at, observation. There was a pattern to Ravage's attacks. A pattern that Fusion memorized the first time the small 'con executed it. It was designed to bring Interceptor to his knees and it was beginning to work.

As Fusion went to swing her pole, an explosion rocked the ship, throwing her off balance and forcing the damaged left ankle to take almost all of her weight. The injured joint gave nearly instantly, causing her to fall forward onto that knee. When she looked up, she was optic-to-optic with Ravage. Snarling, Ravage then turned her attention to Fusion.

&*&

Ravage threw herself at the injured femme, her claws splayed and ready to tear into the far-less armored Autobot. Another explosion tore through the Nemesis, causing the object of her desire to roll out of the way. Ravage found herself landing to far to the left, sliding on the scorched and metal floor. She hit the melted console that had once controlled the bridge system. Shaking her head, she glared at the little Autobot, now kneeling with a poll held tightly in her hands.

"You're either very brave or very stupid, 'bot!" Ravage snarled, leaping high into the air. This time she landed true. Only the pole stopped her from reaching her target, the energon lines that ran through the front of the Autobot's neck.

Pushing all of her weight against the pole, Ravage slowly made headway toward the little femme's chestplate. There was not much strength left in the Autobot, Knockout's interrogation techniques had done a number on her, and yet she fought valiantly to survive. Even now, when Ravage was forcing her weakened arms closer and closer to her body, she fought.

Ravage's claws were centimeters from the femme's throat when two things happened. The first was the bright light of a bridge forming. A green portal came into existence only a few feet from where the two of them fought. The second thing was a third explosion that tore through the ship's interior. Ravage was prepared this time, gripping the decking on either side of the femme's body with her back claws. When the ship stopped pitching and lurching, she lifted her paw high, preparing to strike.

&*&

The drones never stopped coming, even as explosions tore through the ship. Interceptor had watched the other 'cons, the ones who controlled the drone's foolish actions, run in different directions. They took only a few drones with them. Not enough to stop the constant onslaught he was enduring. He hated physical altercations, preferred fighting with guns blazing. But in these tight quarters, his cannons were of only slight assistance. At least the quadruped was no longer attacking his legs, though he was worried as to where it had gone.

With the third, and final, detonation of a bomb, a large group of drones broke off from the oncoming forces. This gave him a chance to look around. What he saw froze his spark. Lying on the floor, a pole the only thing between the her and the quadruped, was Fusion. The quadruped's claws were raised high, prepared to tear the femme's delicate throat from her body. Behind them was an active bridge portal.

Before he could turn and help his friend, another onslaught of drones fell upon him. He fought furiously, his mind focused on saving Fusion from the feline 'con.

Weapons fire from behind him caught three of the drones, dropping them instantly. The quadruped rolled past him, its side smoldering from another bolt of energy. It jumped to its feet, snarled, and ran from the room, no doubt seeking out its master. More drones had fallen while the quadruped disappeared. The drones who were left looked to one another, communicating silently, before turning and fleeing the way they had come.

Trepidation filled Interceptor as he turned from the strewn bodies of drones; a pile that reached his knees. All of his weapons remained online and locked onto the bots that stood behind him, until he saw who they were. Then a sigh of relief, something he had not been expecting to EVER do, escaped his vents. Powering down his weapons, he crossed his arms over his chestplate and regarded the leader of the Autobots silently.

As soon as the portal had opened and they were able to pass through, Optimus had moved in. The message had been cryptic with barely enough information to explain why their assistance was so urgent, yet he'd felt that it was true. Ratchet had protested, as had Arcee, however he would not leave any to die at the hands of Megatron.

Passing through the portal, his weapons ready for instant battle, he was startled to see the Autobot named Interceptor fighting a losing battle against a massive group of drones. Bodies lay strewn all about him, piled high on the floor. Scorch marks scored the walls and consoles of the bridge control center, even the main control panel had been melted. Against a far wall, the Decepticon medic laid – unconscios or dead, he could not be certain of which, especially where Interceptor was concerned. Most worrisome, however, was the sight of the tiny femme with Ravage on top of her, paw raised to strike. All of these observations took less than a second. Once they were processed, he fired, sending Ravage rolling away from the pink and black femme. Ratchet rushed forward then, doing as he was trained.

Drones fell as the other Autobots on his team fired their weapons, eventually driving them away. When the immediate danger was past, Optimus lowered his cannon, transforming it back into his hand. He waited, watching Interceptor's body language. If the mech came at him, it would not be for the first time and he would be prepared.

Interceptor turned then, his weapons armed and ready to continue the confrontation. When he saw who stood there, however, he powered down the weapons and regarded Optimus silently.

"Interceptor," Optimus greeted grimly, still wary of the Autobot law enforcement officer. According to Ratchet, the mech was unstable, as likely to take out an ally as he was an enemy. Yet, he had proven himself loyal to the Autobot cause on numerous occasions. That did not make him any easier to read.

"Prime," Interceptor's reply was equally short.

"Optimus, not to break up this lovely reunion, but if I don't get this youngling back to base soon, she's going to slip into stasis lock," Ratchet interrupted, drawing attention back to the small femme.

"Bumblebee, we need a bridge, now," Arcee's voice floated from behind Optimus. He returned his attention to Interceptor.

"I will expect a full report about this, and as to why you chose to send the SOS message in such a strange way," Optimus stated, watching Interceptor curiously. He had believed the message was from him, yet the news of it seemed to confuse Interceptor.

"I sent no message. If I had, you would have known it was me," Interceptor growled, "Perhaps it was Fusion." He indicated the femme that Ratchet was lifting from the floor.

A new ground bridge opened behind Optimus. The explanations could wait. For now, it was time to return home and allow Ratchet the time he needed to heal the femme that Interceptor had called Fusion. He waited as the others entered the bridge, Ratchet leading the way. Interceptor stepped up beside him and indicated the portal, a clear insistence that he not be followed. Optimus frowned at the mech's distrusting nature, but chose to ignore it, stepping into the ground bridge portal before Interceptor.

&*&

Interceptor looked around the ruins that had once been the Decepticon's bridge control room. His optics fell onto the form of Knockout, who was awake once more and was currently glaring at him. Throwing a rude gesture at the medic, Interceptor entered the ground bridge, leaving the 'con's to their clean up. Truth be known, he had never been so happy to see Optimus Prime. Nor, did he believe, he would ever be so happy to see him again.

&*&

Exiting the portal, the first thing that struck Optimus was how active the base currently was. Ratchet had enlisted the assistance of all present. He was throwing orders around as though each of the others was a trained medical bot. Bumblebee, for his part, looked particularly confused by some of the orders. Arcee was handling it well enough, as was Cliffjumper. But Bulkhead continually made a mess of whatever he was attempting to help with, to the point that Ratchet yelled at him to get out of the way.

Optimus left them to it, waiting on Interceptor's arrival. It was not long before the navy blue mech appeared, a grim look on his faceplate.

"She had better survive this so I can kill her," Interceptor growled, his optics followed the movements of the Autobots who rushed about the base to fulfill Ratchet's demands.

"Tell me, what has occurred over the last few hours?" Optimus asked it quietly, gently. Just as he would to any other Autobot.

"Ha – hours? Try days..." Interceptor smirked as he spoke, "I can tell you some, but she's the only one who can tell you everything."

Optimus nodded, waiting for the story Interceptor had to share. He did not have to wait long. But, what he heard was not what he had been expecting, especially where the little femme was concerned. When Interceptor was finished speaking, Optimus found himself wishing the scout was well enough to speak of her own experiences, however, he would have to wait.

&*&

Downbeat wandered the corridors of the Nemesis, busying himself with the repairs to the systems that he had destroyed with the timed detonations. So far, no one had called him out on it and it had been several days since the battle. Megatron and Starscream had returned from their own mission to find the ship in dire straits. Half of the drones had been deactivated, another third of them injured. Knockout had sustained damage as well and was working slowly. His drone assistant was dead, killed by his own master.

All within the vessel had heard Megatron's reaction to the devastation. And the destruction of one more drone. He had ordered that the ship be completely repaired within a week's time. This had caused many to become fearful for their lives. The damage was extensive, especially to the bridge control room where most of the fighting had occurred.

Even with this added stress, Downbeat felt strangely at ease. He had finally read the pad from the drone, the drone who had turned out to be one of Fusion's greatest allies and only real hope of escape. The drone who had given his very spark to protect her. He wished he had read the pad's contents that day, learned what the drone was planning. If he had, then D-99 may still be alive and thriving. Unfortunately, he had been focused on his own plans and D-99 had paid the price.

Stepping around a corner in the corridor, Downbeat stopped dead in his tracks. Standing at the other end of the corridor, attempting to convince a new drone assistant to do as he was told, was Knockout. The medic's hand continually went to the side of his helmet where a large dent was clear, even from this distance. The vain medic was enraged by this damage, but had chosen to forgo Soundwave's assistance until his own work was done. This had put him into Megatron's good graces, as well as his claim of having chased down the scout, her protector, and the rogue prisoner. If not for the miraculous appearance of the Autobots, as he put it, he would have been able to subdue all three.

Downbeat found it hard to believe that the medic could subdue Interceptor. Not even Interceptor could subdue himself.

Continuing along his path, Downbeat walked past Knockout, smirking at the glare the medic threw him. If he informed anyone of Downbeat's involvement in the entire affair, then he would reveal his own deceptions. It was good to know that the one who knew your secrets had secrets of his own. Downbeat felt remarkably comfortable in the knowledge that Knockout was unable, for now, the reveal his personal secrets. He would have to keep an optic on the medic though.

For now, he was simply happy to have made certain that Fusion was still alive. The Autobot medic had taken her with them. She was in good hands now and would, hopefully, stay far away from him or any other Decepticon. He hoped this experience had taught her a lesson about trusting the other side...

But he doubted it.


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Fusion looked at the different Autobots assembled in the base, creating a half-circle around where she sat on the berth. Each of them wore a different expression, from grim acknowledgment to enraged fury (the former being the Prime, the latter Interceptor). She had left things out of the story, wishing to contemplate on them more herself. For now, they would have to be satisfied with what she had said, though she sensed that the Prime was not.

But, Ratchet, the medic, had warned them all off when it came to probing further into her experience on the Nemesis. He had experienced her too real fear when she had first awakened from the stasis he had placed her in; even still sporting a few of the dents and scratches she had inflicted upon him. After that, he had placed a protective buffer between herself and the others, keeping them and their questions at bay.

"Then the message these," Interceptor jerked his thumb over his shoulder and to the left to indicate Prime and his team, "received was not from you?"

She took in his overprotective stance, the way he had placed himself between her and the others, even Ratchet was forced back. At the moment, she was grateful for the distance he put between the Prime's team and herself. She had spent to long at the mercy of another and had no wish to be at theirs now. Though it was a very different kind of mercy.

"I believe it was sent by D-99. He mentioned something about a second message to me at one point. I don't even remember when. It had seemed insignificant at the time, but I had assumed it was a message to you," Fusion explained, drawing her right leg up so that the knee was bent. Her arms wrapped around it protectively. The left ankle was still fused, would be until Ratchet was able to obtain the proper materials for repairing it.

It had been two weeks since the abrupt end to her captivity by Knockout. But it might as well have been two hours. Each and every memory was clear and crisp in her processor; the pain, the humiliation, the fear, anger, and utterly repressive sadness. She needed time alone to sort it all out. However, that was not likely, at least, not yet.

The conversation began to spread, the other Autobots joining in when it seemed she was saying no more. Bumblebee, a scout like herself – except he was driven to join the warrior class, while she was not – bipped and beeped a question to the others. It seemed he asked no one in particular.

"Because Megatron fears we will ruin his current plans. What those plans are, I do not know," Optimus replied to the yellow mech. The responding noise was one of mild distress and annoyance.

"I don't know what his plans are either. I met him twice and never want to see him again," Fusion stated firmly, running a hand down the back of her neck, as the collar that was part of her armor had been removed for Ratchet to repair her vocoder. The immense pain of the break was still fresh in her mind, even with the repairs having been made..

After she had spoken her own mind, the conversation moved on. Optimus Prime's team seemed close-knit and needed few words to discuss what they wanted. Interceptor moved closer to her and set a massive hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him for a moment before lowering her own gaze and setting a hand on top of his. It had been the first time he had heard everything that happened during her time aboard Megatron's ship. And the first time he'd heard of the reason for the last session with Knockout.

"If you're through exhausting my patient, I suggest you move the conversation elsewhere," Ratchet chased Prime and the rest of his small team from the medbay. Fusion watched as he attempted to chase Interceptor out, giggling when Interceptor responded in his normal fashion; all four cannons pointed at the medic, a growl growing deep inside his body, and a look on his face that could send most 'cons running for the hills.

"Very well, but if you upset her any more than she already is, I'll throw you from this medbay physically," Ratchet snapped, pointing a wrench at the other mech.

Oddly enough, Fusion believed the medic was more than capable of doing just that.

"Just try it old man," Interceptor growled, stepping toward Ratchet. Fusion set her hand on his arm, startling him to a stop.

"I wouldn't do that," she said quietly, watching as Ratchet glared back at the navy blue mech, "When he's like this, he reminds me of Aero. And when Aero was either pissed or feeling particularly protective, he could do some very amazing things."

A puff of hot air blew onto her from Interceptor's vents. He muttered darkly, powering down his cannons and crossing his arms over his chestplate. After a momentary staring contest, Ratchet turned and walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

"If my memory serves me right, I told you to keep your sensors peeled for any 'cons that may be around when you left," Interceptor snarled, placing a single finger beneath her chin and forcing her to look him in the face. His optics narrowed as he regarded her solemnly.

"No lectures, Interceptor. Don't you think I've learned after what I've been through?" Fusion spat back, slapping his hand away and turning away from him. Her optics half-shuttered as she attempted to forget he was there.

Sighing, Interceptor moved slightly so that he was back in her line of sight. More muttering reached her audio sensors before he stooped down and forced her to look into his optics.

"I'm not good at this and you know that," Interceptor stated firmly, tapping her on the top of the helmet. The noise drew Ratchet's attention, causing him to stop his perusal of some scans he had been studying prior to the impromptu debriefing from Optimus Prime and company. He watched closely for a little while before deciding she was fine and returning to his work.

Fusion cringed, but said nothing in response. She knew it was hard for him. And didn't care. It was hard for her too, having gone through what she had and having no one to talk to about it besides a group of strangers and one furious law enforcement officer. She also knew that Interceptor had been by her side for most of the last two weeks, leaving only at the Prime's bidding. Even then, he did so reluctantly. Still, she couldn't bring herself to give him a little leeway.

"There's something I need to tell you, but if I do, you'll get upset and that blasted medic will toss me out on my aft," Interceptor stated, standing and moving to lean against the berth. He continued to look down at her, waiting for a response.

"If it's about Downbeat, don't bother. D-99 told me a few things about him," Fusion said, lowering her leg and clasping her hands in her lap, looking down at the floor.

Silence was her answer, along with a hand on her back.

"I'm sorry, amiga. It's the way things happen sometimes, you trust the wrong bot and you get burnt," Interceptor said, leaning down and kissing the top of her helmet before standing and walking away.

His abrupt departure surprised her, until she looked over to Ratchet to see the medic glaring at Interceptor's retreating back. Before she knew what was happening, she began laughing. Ratchet looked at her in confusion, moving to stand nearby, should she fall from the berth by accident or send herself into a spark-attack.

"What is so funny?" Ratchet demanded when she had calmed down enough to speak coherently.

"That is the first time I've seen Interceptor move that fast AWAY from another mech," Fusion replied, earning an appraising and skeptical look from the Autobot medic.

"Perhaps I should check your processor again, I am not certain you are thinking rationally," Ratchet muttered, lifting the scanner he'd set aside a little earlier.

Sighing, Fusion submitted to the scan. She had learned early on not argue or fight the medic. He was quick to anger and even quicker to hold her still if she put up a resistance. It was one of the worst parts of being smaller than almost all of the Cybertronians she had known.

One month passed from the time of her rescue and Fusion was completely repaired, save for her visor. Ratchet was busy trying to combine elements found on Earth into a material strong enough to withstand the strain she would put on a visor. There had yet to be any viable results. However, her shoulder's armor was back in place, though it was a little rougher than her other one.

After Ratchet had given her a clean bill of health, she had gone in search of a place where she could be completely alone, finding it outside the base, at the top of the encasing mountain. Now, with no one around, she sat and stared at the dark night sky with its twinkling stars. There was no moon this night, something that she found very comforting for a reason she didn't understand.

She most certainly would not be asking Ratchet either.

"Amiga, the Prime's been looking for you," Interceptor walked up behind her, kneeling down so that he was closer to her current height.

"Good for him... you're leaving?" Fusion turned toward Interceptor as she spoke.

He nodded, looking out over the desert that spread beneath them. There was a longing in his optics as his line of sight moved toward the south. In the direction that Brazil would lie.

"I don't belong here anymore than I ever have," Interceptor stated, not looking at her.

"...Neither do I," Fusion whispered, considering the last week. Ratchet's orders to the others to go easy on her had been heeded too well. She felt like an outsider, of course, the fact that all of them were trained warriors or had ambitions toward being such, did not help. With all that had happened recently, she had decided it was time to take a step back and look at her life as it was.

"What will you do?" Interceptor asked, turning back toward her.

"I'm not sure. Wander for a while I suppose," Fusion replied, lifting her right arm and examining the housing of the ion cannon that Ratchet had replaced her old energon cannon with. At least she had a form of defense that would not expend her own life's energy.

"Have you told them?" Interceptor asked the one question she didn't feel like thinking about.

"...No," Fusion said, sighing as she lowered her arm and looked back over the desert, "I don't know how to do so, without hearing a lecture or having someone try and convince me otherwise. I considered just leaving, but I doubt I could sneak out with Ratchet around."

With a suddenness that startled a small squeak from Fusion, Interceptor stood and held his hand out to her. She took it with uncertainty. Once she was standing, Interceptor lifted her chin so that they were looking one another directly in the optics.

"You sure you want to leave? It's dangerous out there and that crazy 'con medic still has a thing for you," Interceptor pushed for a honest answer.

Fusion thought about it for a moment, answering only when she knew exactly what she wanted, "Yes, I'm sure. I can handle Knockout, should he show his face again. And, remember, I now have a working comlink." She tapped the side of her helmet where a new black circle was installed.

Interceptor nodded before offering why he had asked, "You'll leave with me. You can break off whenever you feel like it and then go where you want. I'll check in with you via link whenever possible. And you better respond!"

With a laugh, Fusion nodded. They both looked skyward for a moment before re-entering the base.

The Prime was not happy with the news, nor was Ratchet, but both said they could do nothing to stop her. All wished her luck and told her to call in should she need assistance at any time. She agreed to do so, as well as agreed to return whenever something went wrong with her systems (this last was to mollify a darkly glaring Ratchet). By the next day, Fusion was on the road with Interceptor, watching as the base disappeared behind them. Neither had wanted to travel via ground bridge. If they had done so, Fusion would have been forced to travel across South America once more. Something she did not want to experience again.

At the border of the United States and Mexico, Fusion and Interceptor tranformed back into their proto forms and gazed at one another. This was the end of the road for Fusion. She would be heading back toward the north. She didn't know what she was looking for, but there was something she needed to find. Interceptor seemed to understand this, though she never said a word.

After their goodbyes, Fusion watched as the cloud of dust behind Interceptor disappeared over the horizon before returning to her own alternate mode and turning away from Mexico. She traveled for months, visiting various human cities and towns. The countryside amazed her, as did the race that called this planet home. Her databases grew with information and she found herself learning each language she came across.

Towards the end of her second year alone, she came across a young human femme of Hispanic background. The girl was crying and screaming, her arms wrapped around her middle as though she were in pain. Fusion scanned her quickly, coming to the conclusion that the little femme was not ill, but simply very upset. There were no other humans around and the house behind the girl was rundown, weeds grew in the yard and the door was falling off.

As gently as she could, Fusion greeted the human. The startled brown eyes were huge and shiny with wetness as she searched for the source of the voice. It was a few minutes before her eyes fell upon Fusion's pink alternate mode. They widened then and she shrank away, most likely believing she was losing her mind.

"Que esta ahi?" the girl asked in a language known as Spanish.

Fusion accessed her information on the language and replied,"Me Llamo Fusion. Estoy agui. No tengas miedo, por favor."

"You are a car," the girl said, her voice thick with tears. Fusion revved her engine slightly to show that the girl was right.

"Si, senorita, I am a car. Though I am not always as you see. What is your name?" Fusion asked, her natural curiosity getting the better of her.

"Me llamo..." the girl shook her head and smiled sheepishly, "My name is Eva."

"Es bueno cononcer que, Eva," Fusion responded, smiling internally. She had forgotten that the little femme could not see her face.

"But, why do you cry?" Fusion asked in confusion, nearly forgetting why she had stopped in the first place.

"Because the policia took me mama y papa away. They are being deported to Mexico," Eva replied, beginning to cry again.

"Why?" Fusion asked again, moving a little closer to Eva.

"Because they are not American citizens. I am, my mama made sure I was given the right to look after myself, because I work," Eva explained more as she went on, "But I have no where to live and no family here. I do not know what to do!"

"...I probably shouldn't be suggesting this, in fact, if my leader ever found out I did, he'd most likely ream me, but come with me. I can protect you and we will find you somewhere to live," Fusion suggested, opening the driver's side door of her alternate mode. There was something about Eva that had drawn Fusion to her.

"Are you certain?" Eva asked, standing but remaining where she was, uncertainty clear on her face, "If you will get into trouble, perhaps it would not be a very good idea."

"I've not seen him in two years. I doubt he even remembers my presence on this planet. Besides, I'm getting lonely," Fusion admitted.

"Okay, but, just so you know, I know a thing or two about cars. You try an' eat me or something and I'll rip your engine apart," Eva threatened, moving to get into the driver's seat.

A rumbling laugh shook Fusion's frame, startling Eva, "I'll keep that in mind."

"And, chica, thank you," Eva said, pulling the seatbelt across her form and watching in fascination as Fusion pulled away from the curb, leaving the little rundown house behind.

"I think I know where you can live, Eva," Fusion said, driving through the desert. She passed a sign that said, 'Welcome to Jasper', heading for a hotel on the outskirts of town. She hoped this was the last bit of traveling she had to do. After exploring the country for the last couple of years, Fusion had found herself missing the company of others, but was too proud to call Prime's base and request a ground bridge. And now, that would not be necessary.


End file.
